Manufacture of self-hardening refractory articles



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- No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that-I, Fmfion, -a citizen-of the United States, residing at certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Self-Hardening-Refrac- 'tory- Articles, of which the following is a specification, reference .being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to-the manufacture V of i'efractory articles and, particularly, .of

' bricks or blocks-used .to lm'esteel. furnaces and like structures involving an intense heat.

' purposes are usually manufacturedbycom condition, then molded, then dried, and

finally fired at high temperature; --That is 1 them to'be set in the kilns; then there. is the ting and burning the articles as'well Y g, not to mention the continui'n to say, under present-day practice, certain materials are ground or otherwise reduced tov an approximately pulverulent condition ,and then molded into brick sizes, v whereupon (after aperiod of drying) the articles are set in: kilns wherein'they are burned with coal or other fuel from five to eight days. This method of manufacturing involves the very considerable loss of time'requiredl for; the

drying of the, articles suflicientlyto permit further periodconsumed the burning; and then there isthe still further consump tion of time involved in the cooling of the 7burned article's-these various steps requirfore predicated uponjthe discovery that, bfv

- utilizing certain chemical elements. and e fecting a combination of one'of these with the basic material used in I the manufacture "of the articles, such articles will self-harden to a degree. equal to that resulting from the usual in a kilm As a result of coneiderable experimentation, I have deter Bricks that are now'.employed for such" of the ground dead burned ma the same, with the atrarsmrro srics.

. a reason, or rnmnnnnrmmrmsxrvam s rnc'runn or. snnr-nannnnme nnrnao'ronii A mfimfaied December 22, 1920. Serial no. aaais'aa.

mined that chlorid'of magnesium, when in a partlcular condition, will effect a hardenv -ing.action suchfthat in a mass which in- Ph1ladelph1a,.1n the county of Ph1ladelph1a 1 5 and State of Pennsylvania, have invented c udes magnesite, :for instance, kiln firing-is absolutely avoided, while the product possesses the required degree of hardness to permit its use for lining steel. furnaces. In

this connection, it may here be explained that the magnesium chlorid, before being mixed with the magnesite, must-be reduced from its natural, solid form to a fluid con dition. 1

My invention, it willnow be understood, resides in the new method of manufacturing and in the resultant .product, hereinafter described. bining certam selected materials. which, -when mixed, are rendered, into a plastic;

I Where lfirebrick, and similar articles, are to be made with the magnesite as the basic material, this is first prepared by grmdmg and burning it so that 1t is then in' the condition of. ground burned dead magneslte. While the magnesite may be in the amorphous form; nevertheless I generally utilize magnesite in thecrystalline form because that is mostl desired by. steel mills and furnace operator's. Where the hardenesium chlorid, this is' .fused in a suitab e receptacle and this is subjected to a' heat. ap ro'ximating 1250"" 'Fahrenheit until it is liquid form. This step of fusing the magmg agent is ma ucedfrom solid to ne sium chlorid occupies approximately five minutes, but may be hastened by the appli-- cation of 'a higher degree of heat. As soon as, or just before, the esium' chlorid- .time, or until the boiling magnesium chlorid becomes. settled. Then, to a-quanti esitg, efqlia ling (say) 500 pounds, a re atively small uantity (sayIfrom 3% to 5% b weight) of t e liquid magnesium chlori is -;mixed. Then a small quantity of water is added to the resultant, suflicient to nder the mixture 01 reaches a boiling condition, the ap lication pleatin I have found b experiments and tests tha when the magnesite is combined with th d 'magn state and then-fmoistened with water, a rec-' 'ognizablechemical action occurs: The resultant is a combination which may be called esium chlorid 1n l quid oxychlorid. The-magnesia or magnesium oxidin the magnesite, with the impurities (such asiron) combine with the 'magnesium u chlorid in the presence of water and the resulting action isv an oxy-chlorid compound with magnesite. This may be expressed as 01 g( H)Z and water. Following this stage of the operation, the mass is 'molded into bricks or blocks of appropriate form and d mensions, whereupon the bricks are sub ected to a pressure of, say, 5 000 pounds, for a couple of seconds or so. B from this pressure, the molded bricks are permitted slowly to dry, as in the atmosphere, for about foundays, whereupon the brick is sufiiciently hard to be used without further treatment. The drying step, ,it will be understood, is accomplished without artificial heat, though such drying may be expedited, if desired, by employing heated air; but, in no case, is there any firing or burnin be understood that, in carrying out niy imroved method of brick manufacture, comine amaterial (such as magneslte) with a hardening agent, such as magnesium chlorid,

it being an essential feature of the method that the chlorid be in liquid condition when admixed with the .magnesite; also, that it is a further feature of the invention to moisten the mixture of the magnesite and chlorid with water or similar liquid to efiect a chemical combination, such as that already specified; and, further, that it is of the essence of the invention to avoid burning the brick to effect its hardening.

While I have hereinabove described the method asfor the production of bricks or blocks for furnace linings and the like; nevertheless, it is to be understood that the method islikewise useful for the manufacture of other articles, the form and type of which is determined by the molding or shaping of thesame according to their intended use.

While I have herein specifically referred to magnesium chlorid, in a liquid form, as

the hardening agent; neverthelem, it is to be understood that the invention contemplates the use of other elements having the same characteristics as'magnesium chlorid and capable of being rendered into a fluid or semi-fluid condition.

What I claim is:

1. The method of manufacturing refractory articles, such as furnace-lining bricks, which consists in mixing magnesite with other elements including magnesium chlorid in a molten condition, forming the same, and finishing the resultant by subjecting it to the drying action of air and without burning.

2. The method of manufacturing refractory articles, such as furnace-lining bricks, which consists. in mixing ground dead eing then relieved memes burned magnesite with molten magnesium chlorid, then moistening the same to render the mass of proper consistency, then forming the same, as in molds, and finally finishing the resultant by subjecting it to the drying action of atmospheric air to render the article hard, without firing. 3. The method of manufacturing refractory articles which consists in mixing pulverized dead burned magnesite witha relatively small quantity of magnesium chlorid in molten condition, moistening the same with a liquid to chemically combine these two elements and to render the same of proper consistency, and then subjecting the resultant to the drying action of atmospheric air to harden the article.

4:. The -method of making self-hardening refractory articles which consists in subjecting magnesium chlorid to the action of v heat to liquefy it, then mixing it with dry of the brick to effect its hardening. It wil burned magnesite, then moistening the mass with water, then molding the plastic resultant, and then allowing the molded article to dry in the air and become selfhardening.

5. The method of manufacturing selfhardening refractory articles which consists in fusingmagnesium chlorid, then mixing this with ground dead burned magnesite, then adding a moistening element to the mixture, then molding the plastic mass to shape it, and finally hardening the same by subjecting it to the drying action of air without firing the article. I

l 6. The method of manufacturing selfhardening refractory articles which consists in subjecting magnesium chloridto the action of heat at high temperature to convert it from solid to fluid conditions; then 0001-. ing the same for a predetermined period until the boiling magnesium chlorid becomes settled; then mixing a relatively small quantity of the liquefied chlorid with ground deadburned magnesite; then moistenin'g the same with a liquid; then subjectingthe plastic mass to a high pressure; and finally efiecting a drying of the resultant articles to harden the same with avoidance of firing or burning.

7 The method of manufacturing selfhardening refractory bricks and similar articles which consists in the combining with 500 pounds gf dead-burned magnesite of approximately 5% of magnesium chlorid in a molten condition, moistening the same with water, then subjectin the resultant to a high pressure, and fina y efiecting a drying of the pressed article by subjecting the same to atmospheric air. Y

8. The method of manufacturing selfhardening fire bricks and similar articles which consists in applying to magnesium chlorid a heat of approximately 1250 Fah renheit to liquefy thesame, then cooling the -jecting the plastic mass to a high. pressure ing action of atmospheric air for a prede-A for a predetermined period, and finally subjecting the pressed article'to the slow dry,-

termined periods? 9. The method of manufacturing refractory liners for furnaces and the like which consists in mixing calcined magnesite with magnesium chlorid reduced tounolten condition, then moistening the resultant prodnot, and then setting the mass ,by' subjecting it to the drying action of air and without firing.

10. The method of manufacturing refractory bricks and the like which consists in melting megnesium chlorid, then combining it with calcined magnesite, the chlorid being in relatively small proportion to the magnesite, and then setting the resultant product by subjecting the same to the drying action of air.

11. The method of manufacturing refractory articles, such as furnace bricks, which consists in mixing calcined ma molten magnesium chlorid, ad ing to the resultant product Water to give consistency to the mass'and to effect a chemical combination between the elements thereof, then molding the resultant product, and, finally, setting the molded articles by subjecting them to the action of air, and without firing the same.

12. As an article of manufacture, a refractory article produced by combining calcined magnesite and molten magnesium chlorid, forming the mass while in a plastic condition, and setting the same hard without burning.

.13. As an article of manufacture, a refractory article produced by combinin calcined magnesite, molten magnesium ch orid, and water; then forming the mass while in a plastic condition; and then allowing the same to set hard without burning,

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM A. FRANCE.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. Boss, JOHN W. SLOAN.

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